How the Land Rush happened
Lawbreaking Boomers forced the opening of Unassigned Lands[A] man named David Payne became the self-proclaimed leader of a movement to get the Oklahoma Country opened for settlement. He formed the Southwestern Colonization Co. and charged a fee for anyone who wanted to join. This group became known as the “Boomers.” For the next decade the Boomers periodically made efforts to settle in the Unassigned Lands. Each effort drew more attention from the press and more pressure on the government to open the lands.
The Five Civilized Tribes pressed for Payne’s arrest, and he was taken to the federal court in Fort Smith. He was tried for “conspiring against the United States” and Judge Isaac Parker fined him $1,000 for trespassing on Indian lands. But Payne was unrepentant and continued to lead groups of Boomers into Indian Territory.
Payne died in 1884, but the Boomers persisted in their efforts. In 1889, they succeeded in convincing Congress to open the Oklahoma Lands for settlement.
2 comments:
Writerfella here --
Some of the Oklahoma Indian Territory 'land runs' happened with a whimper instead of a bang. A friend of writerfella's found this ad in an April 3, 1901 issue of the West Virginia CABELL RECORD:
"PRESIDENT'S PROCLAMATION -- August 6th, 1901 -- Opening of the Kiowa-Comanche Strip, Oklahoma Territory. Now is your chance to get a cheap home in one of the fertile valleys. Drawing will commence July 29. For rates and information, apply to - Thos. A. Garrigan, S.E.P.A., Huntington, W. Va."
writerfella is sending a scan of this item so that Rob may post it here later.
The Wichita, Kiowa, Comanche, and Apache Reservation already had been broken up into allotted parcels, with most of the Native occupants over 18 receiving 160 acres at most and 80 acres at least. That left 8 million acres as 'unassigned lands,' allowing them to be opened up to outsider settlement. Thus did thousands of non-Natives "get a cheap home in one of the fertile valleys." Today, 106 years later, their descendants behave as though they own it all and that they have lived here forever. Now, they want to celebrate that event with parades and feasting but the Wichitas, Kiowas, Comanches, and Apaches all have told them to go take a flying fuck at the moon...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
Writerfella here --
POSTSCRIPTUM -- what a difference a few days make!? In Saturday's mail was a letter from the local Chamber of Commerce asking writerfella to be Grand Marshall of a parade in Anadarko for the city's centennial celebration (THAT'S THE CITY, NOT THE STATE). Rather than refusing flatly and immediately, writerfella will investigate just exactly what it entails. Currently writerfella is the only living and working Native writer in this town and is No. 6 on a list of famous Oklahomans maintained by the state legislature. If that's the reason, then writerfella would be remiss to dismiss...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
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